Sports
NFA Considers Change Of Name For Amateur League
The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) has said it was considering changing the National Amateur League’s name to reflect its grassroots and national outlook.
Musa Amadu, NFA Acting Secretary-General, said the association believed a change of name would assist in attracting more sponsors and glamour to the competition.
“We may have to change the league’s name to something that reflects its grassroots nature.
“ The name ‘Amateur League’ makes it sound as if players there are inexperienced and less relevant.
“Already, our Marketing Department is looking into it and we will come up with something as soon as all approvals are received,” he said.
Amadu said the move was imperative because the league, which has 128 clubs in its three divisions, was the most national of all its competitions and would give sponsors more mileage.
He said that the National Amateur League was a very important segment of Nigerian football as most of the players in the country had at one stage or the other played in it.
“From some of the matches I have witnessed in the league, it has the raw talents and you can see the players’ dedication,’’ he said.
Amadu urged clubs in the league to play fair and the referees to make sure their officiating was free and fair so that everyone involved would be satisfied.
“Clubs should abide by the rules and regulations guiding the league and ensure that their fans do not take laws into their hands by encroaching on the pitch or being violent,” he said.
The NFA official also called on clubs to ensure comprehensive medical coverage for their personnel, saying the increasing rate of players suffering sudden deaths was alarming.
“When matches are being played, you must have medical personnel on board and on ground in case of any casualty.
“It is also necessary that clubs conduct periodic check-up on their players and officials to make sure they are medically fit,” he said.
Amadu said the provision of an insurance package for players would also serve as an incentive to the players.
He said the league would become better organised with the election of a National Amateur League board which would oversee its affairs.
Amadu said the fact that the league board chairman would automatically become a member of the NFA Executive Committee was an indication that the league’s interest would be protected.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.